U.S. patent application number 16/458434 was filed with the patent office on 2020-03-19 for battery module.
The applicant listed for this patent is CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED. Invention is credited to Chuanlian CHEN, Yangzhi HUANG, Yanhuo XIANG, Yuqun ZENG, Fenggang ZHAO.
Application Number | 20200091488 16/458434 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66690223 |
Filed Date | 2020-03-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200091488 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ZENG; Yuqun ; et
al. |
March 19, 2020 |
BATTERY MODULE
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a battery module. The battery
module includes a plurality of battery units connected in series;
an electrode output connecting piece disposed at an output end of
the plurality of battery units; a plurality of bridging busbars,
each connecting two battery units spaced by another battery unit or
more battery units among the plurality of battery units; and an
adjacent busbar connecting adjacent battery units among the
plurality of battery units. An electrical connection path is formed
in the battery module by the electrode output connecting piece, the
bridging busbars and the adjacent busbar. At least two of the
plurality of bridging busbars partially overlap and fit one another
in an electrical insulation manner as a group. The battery module
according to the present disclosure is applicable in diverse
situations, and capable of improving safety performance and energy
density.
Inventors: |
ZENG; Yuqun; (Ningde City,
CN) ; ZHAO; Fenggang; (Ningde City, CN) ;
CHEN; Chuanlian; (Ningde City, CN) ; XIANG;
Yanhuo; (Ningde City, CN) ; HUANG; Yangzhi;
(Ningde City, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED |
Ningde City |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
66690223 |
Appl. No.: |
16/458434 |
Filed: |
July 1, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01M 2220/20 20130101;
B60Y 2400/112 20130101; B60Y 2200/91 20130101; H01M 2/1077
20130101; B60L 50/64 20190201; H01M 2/206 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01M 2/20 20060101
H01M002/20; H01M 2/10 20060101 H01M002/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 14, 2018 |
CN |
201811076080.3 |
Claims
1. A battery module, comprising: a plurality of battery units
connected in series; an electrode output connecting piece disposed
at an output end of the plurality of battery units; a plurality of
bridging busbars, each connecting two battery units spaced by
another battery unit or more battery units among the plurality of
battery units; and an adjacent busbar, connecting adjacent battery
units among the plurality of battery units, wherein an electrical
connection path is formed in the battery module by the electrode
output connecting piece, the plurality of bridging busbars and the
adjacent busbar and at least two of the plurality of bridging
busbars partially overlap with and fit one another in an electrical
insulation manner as a group.
2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the plurality
of bridging busbars comprises an upper bridging busbar and a lower
bridging busbar, the upper bridging busbar and the lower bridging
busbar partially overlapping with each other in an insulating
manner.
3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein an insulator is
provided between the upper bridging busbar and the lower bridging
busbar, and a periphery of the insulator extends beyond a
circumference of an overlapping portion between the upper bridging
busbar and the lower bridging busbar.
4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the periphery
of the insulator extends beyond the circumference of the
overlapping portion between the upper bridging busbar and the lower
bridging busbar by 2 to 6 mm.
5. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the upper
bridging busbar comprises an upper body portion, a first upper
connecting piece and a second upper connecting piece, and the first
upper connecting piece and the second upper connecting piece
protrude from a same side of the upper body portion, and at least
one of the first upper connecting piece and the second upper
connecting piece is connected to the upper body portion via an arc
transition.
6. The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the lower
bridging busbar comprises a lower body portion, a first lower
connecting piece and a second lower connecting piece, the first
lower connecting piece and the second lower connecting piece
protruding from a same side of the lower body portion.
7. The battery module according to claim 6, wherein surfaces of the
first upper connecting piece, the second upper connecting piece,
the first lower connecting piece and the second lower connecting
piece facing towards the plurality of battery units are
coplanar.
8. The battery module according to claim 6, wherein each of the
first upper connecting piece, the second upper connecting piece,
the first lower connecting piece and the second lower connecting
piece is provided with a locating hole.
9. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein a distance D1
between the locating hole of the first upper connecting piece and
the locating hole of the first lower connecting piece is equal to a
distance D2 between the locating hole of the second upper
connecting piece and the locating hole of the second lower
connecting piece.
10. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein a distance D1
between the locating hole of the first upper connecting piece and
the locating hole of the first lower connecting piece is five times
to fifteen times a distance P1 between the first upper connecting
piece and the first lower connecting piece.
11. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein a distance D2
between the locating hole of the second upper connecting piece and
the locating hole of the second lower connecting piece is five
times to fifteen times a distance P2 between the second upper
connecting piece and the second lower connecting piece.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent
Application No. 201811076080.3, filed on Sep. 14, 2018, the content
of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of
power storage device, and in particular, relates to a battery
module.
BACKGROUND
[0003] With a transformation of energy resource structure, the
sustainable electric energy has gradually replaced traditional
fossil fuels and become a mainstream energy source. For example,
electric vehicles are replacing traditional fuel vehicles and
becoming a new trend of development, accompanying with a rapid
development of rechargeable batteries.
[0004] As regards a battery module in which a plurality of battery
units are connected in series, a conventional arrangement of
electrode connection pieces limits a diversity of configuration of
the battery module, and has deficiencies with respect to heat
dissipation and safety, which are not conducive to energy density
of the battery module.
SUMMARY
[0005] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure
provides a battery module.
[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a
battery module is provided. The battery module includes: a
plurality of battery units connected in series; an electrode output
connecting piece disposed at an output end of the plurality of
battery units; a plurality of bridging busbars, each connecting two
battery units spaced by another battery unit or more battery units
among the plurality of battery units; and an adjacent busbar
connecting adjacent battery units among the plurality of battery
units. An electrical connection path is formed in the battery
module by the electrode output connecting piece, the plurality of
bridging busbars and the adjacent busbar. At least two of the
plurality of bridging busbars partially overlap with and fit one
another in an electrical insulation manner as a group.
[0007] In an embodiment, the plurality of bridging busbars includes
an upper bridging busbar and a lower bridging busbar, the upper
bridging busbar and the lower bridging busbar partially overlapping
with each other in an electrical insulation manner.
[0008] In an embodiment, an insulator is provided between the upper
bridging busbar and the lower bridging busbar, and a periphery of
the insulator extends beyond a circumference of an overlapping
portion between the upper bridging busbar and the lower bridging
busbar.
[0009] In an embodiment, the periphery of the insulator extends
beyond the circumference of the overlapping portion between the
upper bridging busbar and the lower bridging busbar by 2 mm to 6
mm.
[0010] In an embodiment, the upper bridging busbar includes an
upper body portion, a first upper connecting piece and a second
upper connecting piece, and the first upper connecting piece and
the second upper connecting piece protrude from the upper body
portion at a same side. At least one of the first upper connecting
piece and the second upper connecting piece is connected to the
upper body portion via an arc transition.
[0011] In an embodiment, the lower bridging busbar includes a lower
body portion, a first lower connecting piece and a second lower
connecting piece, the first lower connecting piece and the second
lower connecting piece protruding from the lower body portion at a
same side.
[0012] In an embodiment, surfaces of the first upper connecting
piece, the second upper connecting piece, the first lower
connecting piece and the second lower connecting piece facing
towards the plurality of battery units are coplanar.
[0013] In an embodiment, each of the first upper connecting piece,
the second upper connecting piece, the first lower connecting piece
and the second lower connecting piece is provided with a locating
hole.
[0014] In an embodiment, a distance D1 between the locating hole of
the first upper connecting piece and the locating hole of the first
lower connecting piece is equal to a distance D2 between the
locating hole of the second upper connecting piece and the locating
hole of the second lower connecting piece.
[0015] In an embodiment, the distance D1 between the locating hole
of the first upper connecting piece and the locating hole of the
first lower connecting piece is five times to fifteen times a
distance P1 between the first upper connecting piece and the first
lower connecting piece.
[0016] In an embodiment, the distance D2 between the locating hole
of the second upper connecting piece and the locating hole of the
second lower connecting piece is five times to fifteen times a
distance P2 between the second upper connecting piece and the
second lower connecting piece.
[0017] The technical solution provided by the present disclosure
brings following benefits.
[0018] In the battery module provided by the present disclosure, a
plurality of battery units is connected in series by the bridging
busbars and the adjacent busbars. This can provide an important
support to a diversity of configuration of the battery module.
[0019] For example, arranging two electrode output connecting
pieces of the battery module on a same side of the battery module
can not only reduce a dimension of the whole battery module and
enhance the energy density of the battery module, but also reduce a
length of the bridging busbar. In this way, the bridging busbars
will generate less heat during operation of the battery module, and
thus the safety performance of the battery module can be
improved.
[0020] Further, errors are less likely to occur during an assembly
process of the battery module when the bridging busbars have a
smaller length, thereby facilitating the assembly process of the
battery module. In addition, at least two of the plurality of the
bridging busbars overlap with and fit one another in an insulation
manner as a group, which can prevent the bridging busbars from
occupying too large space in the battery module, thereby improving
compactedness and energy density of the battery module.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery module
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a top view of the battery module shown in FIG.
1;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a part in the
battery module according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a connecting
piece group in the battery module according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG.
4;
[0026] FIG. 6 is another structural schematic diagram of a battery
module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a part in the
battery module shown in FIG. 6; and
[0028] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery cell
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
REFERENCE SIGNS
[0029] 1--battery unit;
[0030] 11--battery cell;
[0031] 111--electrode terminal;
[0032] 2--electrode output connecting piece;
[0033] 3--adjacent busbar;
[0034] 4--bridging busbar;
[0035] 41--upper bridging busbar;
[0036] 410--upper body portion;
[0037] 411--first upper connecting part;
[0038] 4111--locating hole;
[0039] 412--second upper connecting part;
[0040] 42--lower bridging busbar;
[0041] 420--lower body portion;
[0042] 421--first lower connecting part;
[0043] 422--second lower connecting part;
[0044] 5--insulator.
[0045] Accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments according to
the present disclosure are incorporated in the description as a
part, and used to elaborate the principle of the present
disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0046] The present disclosure will be further described below by
specific embodiments of the present disclosure in combination with
the drawings.
[0047] The terms "first", "second", "third", or "fourth" in the
description are used for a purpose of description only, but not
intended to indicate or imply relative importance thereof. Unless
otherwise specified or stated, term "a plurality of" means two or
more, terms "connected", "fixed", etc. shall be understood in a
broad sense. For example, the term "connected" includes various
connection manners, such as fixed connection, detachable
connection, integrated connection, electrical connection, direct
connection or indirect connection via an intermediate medium. These
skilled in the art are able to understand specific meanings of the
above terms in accordance with specific circumstances.
[0048] It should be understood that terms indicating orientations
or positions, such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc.,
generally are used to describe the orientations or positions with
reference to the drawings, and thus should not be construed as a
limitation of the present disclosure. It also should be understood
that when an element is referred as being "on" or "under" another
element, the element can be directly located "on" or "under"
another element or connected to another element with an
intermediate element.
[0049] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a battery
module and a battery pack (not shown). The battery pack includes
the battery module, and can also include a battery management
system, a battery thermal management system, a battery system power
distribution box, a soft connection, electrical interfaces and the
like. The thermal management system can include an evaporator, a
fan, an air duct, a temperature detecting mechanism and the like.
One or more battery modules can be provided inside a single battery
pack, and a specific number of the battery modules can be selected
depending on an actual requirement.
[0050] A specific structure of the battery module will be described
in detail as follow. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, a single
battery module includes a frame (not shown) and a plurality of
battery units 1 disposed within the frame. Specifically, as shown
in FIG. 1, the battery unit 1 can be a single battery cell 11. As
another example, the battery unit 1 also can be a battery group
formed by connecting a plurality of battery cells 11 in parallel,
aiming to increase current output of the entire battery module.
[0051] For example, the battery unit 1, as shown in FIG. 6,
includes two battery cells 11. These two battery cells 11 are
connected to one another in parallel through a bridging busbar 4,
and further connected to another battery unit 1 in series.
Specifically, as shown FIG. 8, the battery cell 11 can be in a
rectangular structure and include two electrode terminals 111
having opposite polarities.
[0052] In an assembly process of the battery module, the plurality
of battery units 1 is connected in series through the bridging
busbar 4 and an adjacent busbar 3. In order to output electric
energy of the entire battery module, the battery module is further
provided with two electrode output connecting pieces 2 disposed at
output ends of the battery module, acting as a positive output
electrode and a negative output electrode, respectively.
[0053] With the aid of the bridging busbar 4, a length of the
busbar can be reduced, and in the meantime, the two electrode
output connecting pieces 2 can be disposed at a same side of the
battery module, which is conducive to heat dissipation. In this
way, a higher energy density can be achieved in a same assembly
space, while a high safety can be guaranteed.
[0054] Specifically, in a process of connecting the plurality of
battery units 1 in the battery module, among the plurality of
battery units 1, two battery units 1 that are spaced by one battery
unit 1 located there between are connected in series through the
bridging busbar 4, and two adjacent battery units 1 are connected
in series through the adjacent busbar 3. After being connected in
series through the bridging busbars 4 and the adjacent busbars 3,
the remaining two battery units 1 of the plurality of battery units
1 are connected to the two electrode output connecting pieces 2,
respectively, thereby forming an electrical connection path in the
battery module.
[0055] In order to further prevent the bridging busbar 4 from
occupying too much space in the frame of the battery module, the
plurality of bridging busbars 4 as shown in FIG. 1 can be divided
in groups, and each group consists of two bridging busbars 4 that
partially overlap with and fit one another in an insulation
manner.
[0056] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the plurality
of bridging busbars 4 can include an upper bridging busbar 41 and a
lower bridging busbar 42 that are electrically insulated and
partially overlapped. In this way, multiple bridging busbars 4 can
be provided above the battery unit 1. In addition, since the
bridging busbars 4 overlap with each other, space occupied by the
bridging busbars 4 in a height direction of the battery module can
be minimized, thereby promoting a development of the battery module
having high energy density. In addition to the higher energy
density, such arrangement also can have an outstanding performance
with respect to heat generation. Specifically, under ensuring a
same current-passing area, the bridging busbars 4 according to the
above structure and arrangement can lead to a small entire
dimension, thereby generating less heat during the operation of the
battery module. Moreover, on the basis of the above effects, the
upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42 overlap
with and fit one another to form a structure having excellent
property, which can prevent the upper bridging busbar 41 and the
lower bridging busbar 42 from being shifted, deformed or even
broken due to shaking or vibration.
[0057] In order to prevent the bridging busbar 4 from contacting
the battery units 1 bridged by the bridging busbar 4, which would
otherwise results in a short circuit, in an embodiment shown in
FIG. 7, the bridging busbar 4 is provided with a protective sleeve
made of an insulating material. As another embodiment, a safety
space can be reserved between the bridging busbar 4 and the battery
unit 1 bridged by the bridging busbar 4, so as to avoid the short
circuit caused by their mutual contact.
[0058] Specifically, the electrode output connecting piece 2, the
bridging busbar 4 and the adjacent busbar 3 can each be a structure
made of a conductive material such as metal. In an embodiment, the
electrode output connecting piece 2, the bridging busbar 4 and the
adjacent busbar 3 are made of copper or aluminum. As shown in FIG.
1, the bridging busbar 4 and the adjacent busbar 3 both have a
structure having a sheet shape, and a thickness and a length
thereof can be selected depending upon practical requirements.
[0059] Further, as shown in FIG. 3-5, an insulator 5 can be
disposed between the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower
bridging busbar 42. The insulator 5 is made of an insulating
material to prevent the overlapping upper bridging busbar 41 and
lower bridging busbar 42 from forming an electrical connection. In
this way, the space occupied by the bridging busbars 4 can be
reduced, and the insulation between the upper bridging busbar 41
and the lower bridging busbar 42 is reliably guaranteed.
[0060] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a periphery of the
insulator 5 extends beyond a circumference of an overlapping
portion between the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging
busbar 42, which can further avoid a shift and an invalid
electrical connection between the upper bridging busbar 41 and the
lower bridging busbar 42 due to the vibration of the battery module
during its operation. The periphery of the insulator 5 extends
beyond the circumference of the overlapping portion between the
upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42 by a
specific degree that is selected depending upon specific sizes of
the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42. For
example, the periphery of the insulator 5 can extend beyond the
circumference of the overlapping portion by 2 mm to 6 mm, and
preferably 5 mm. This can ensure a sufficient insulation between
the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42 on
the one hand. Moreover, since the periphery of the insulator 5 can
extend beyond the circumference of the overlapping portion between
the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42 by 5
mm, a certain amount of condensed water, which may be generated due
to temperature change during the operation of the battery module,
can be condensed and accumulated at the periphery of the insulator
5 and then fall down, without damaging the insulation between the
upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42.
[0061] In an embodiment, the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower
bridging busbar 42 are both fit into the insulator 5 by a hot
pressing or bonding process, so as to form an integrated bridging
busbar group. The swell of the battery cell 11 may result in a
shift of the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar
42, and a movement of the insulator 5, which further leads to an
invalid insulation between the upper bridging busbar 41 and the
lower bridging busbar 42. The integrated bridging busbar group can
avoid the shift of the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower
bridging busbar 42, enhance an assembly efficiency of the battery
module, and reduce a probability of error occurrence during the
assembly of the battery module. More specifically, the insulator 5
can be made of a flexible insulating material. In an embodiment,
the insulator 5 has an elastic modulus greater than or equal to
3000 MPa, so that the insulator 5 can avoid an invalid connection
between the bridging busbar 4 and the electrode terminal 111, which
is caused by the swell of the battery unit 1 during the operation
of the battery module. For example, the insulator 5 can be formed
in one piece by means of injection molding of polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) plastic.
[0062] The upper bridging busbar 41 includes an upper body portion
410, a first upper connecting piece 411 and a second upper
connecting piece 412. The first upper connecting piece 411 and the
second upper connecting piece 412 are both connected to the upper
body portion 410. The first upper connecting piece 411 and the
second upper connecting piece 412 are respectively connected to the
electrode terminals 111 of two different battery units 1, and the
two different battery units 1 are electrically connected through
the upper body portion 410. In order to improve a consistency of
the first upper connecting piece 411 and the second upper
connecting piece 412, both of them can protrude from a same side of
the upper body portion 410. The first upper connecting piece 411
and the second upper connecting piece 412 extend in a plane
different from a plane where the upper body portion 410 extends,
i.e., they are bent with respect to the upper body portion 410. In
view of an inevitable vibration and swell problems during operation
of the battery module, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, an arc
transition is provided between the first upper connecting piece 411
and the upper body portion 410 and between the second upper
connecting piece 412 and the upper body portion 410, so that they
can have stronger adaptability, and the whole upper bridging busbar
41 can have a stronger structural strength and thus is unlikely to
be broken.
[0063] At least one of the first upper connecting piece 411 and the
second upper connecting piece 412 is bent with respect to the upper
body portion 410 and protrudes from the upper body portion 140 via
the arc. A radian and dimension of the arc can be altered depending
upon practical situations, which can not only reduce the space
occupied by the upper bridging busbar 41, but also improve a
bending resistance of the entire upper bridging busbar 41. In
addition, such structure can also distinguish the upper bridging
busbar 41 from the lower bridging busbar 42 so as to achieve the
fool proofing effect during the assembly process of the upper
bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42.
[0064] Further, the lower bridging busbar 42 includes a lower body
portion 420, a first lower connecting piece 421 and a second lower
connecting piece 422. The first lower connecting piece 421 and the
second lower connecting piece 422 extend from a same side of the
lower body portion 420, which can maximize the current-passing area
of the first lower connecting piece 421 and the second lower
connecting piece 422 with a same dimension. The first lower
connecting piece 421 and the second lower connecting piece 422 are
also respectively connected to the electrode terminals 111 of two
different battery units 1, and the two different battery units 1
are electrically connected through the lower body portion 420.
[0065] In order to ensure a better fit between the bridging busbar
4 and the electrode terminal 111, surfaces of the first upper
connecting piece 411, the second upper connecting piece 412, the
first lower connecting piece 421 and the second lower connecting
piece 422 facing towards the battery unit 1 are on a same plane, so
as to guarantee a relatively large contact area between their
surfaces facing towards the battery unit 1 and the electrode
terminal 111. In an embodiment, by bending the first upper
connecting piece 411, the second upper connecting piece 412, the
first lower connecting piece 421 or the second lower connecting
piece 422, their surfaces facing towards the battery unit 1 can be
set on the same plane. That is, in view of the upper bridging
busbar 41 being located above the lower bridging busbar 42, the
first upper connecting piece 411 and the second upper connecting
piece 412 can be bent, i.e., the first upper connecting piece 411
and the second upper connecting piece 412 can be bent with respect
to the upper body portion 410 and protrude from the upper body
portion 410 via the arc. It should be note that one or more of the
first upper connecting piece 411, the second upper connecting piece
412, the first lower connecting piece 421 and the second lower
connecting piece 422 may be shifted or bent due to the vibration of
the battery module, the swell of the battery cell 11 or the like
factor after the battery module has operated for a period of time.
This situation is not contradictory to the concept of the present
disclosure, and shall fall within the protection scope of the
present disclosure. In addition, in consideration of processing
precision, error of the measuring instrument and the like, the
first upper connecting piece 411, the second upper connecting piece
412, the first lower connecting piece 421 and the second lower
connecting piece 422 should be considered as coplanar as long as
they have a planeness smaller than or equal to 1 mm.
[0066] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the first upper
connecting piece 411, the second upper connecting piece 412, the
first lower connecting piece 421 and the second lower connecting
piece 422 is provided with a locating hole 4111. During the
assembly process of the battery module, the locating between the
bridging busbar 4 and the electrode terminal 111 can be
accomplished by means of the locating hole 4111. In addition, the
locating holes 4111 can improve a melting effect between the
bridging busbar 4 and the electrode terminal 111 during the welding
process, thereby enhancing the reliability of the connection there
between. In an example, the locating hole 4111 is a circular
hole.
[0067] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a hole spacing between the
locating hole 4111 on the first upper connecting piece 411 and the
locating hole 4111 on the first lower connecting piece 421 is D1,
and a hole spacing between the locating hole 4111 on the second
upper connecting piece 412 and the locating hole 4111 on the second
lower connecting piece 422 is D2. In order to improve the accuracy
of the locating of the locating holes 4111 and the consistency of
the bridging busbars, D1 is equal to D2.
[0068] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a spacing between the first
upper connecting piece 411 and the first lower connecting piece 421
is P1. The inevitable vibration or swell and the like problem
during an operation of the battery module may result in a relative
movement between the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower
bridging busbar 42. It is preferable that D1 is 5 to 1.5 times P1,
in order to avoid that the upper jumper 41 and the lower jumper 42
are brought into contact or the distance there between is too small
even in presence of the relative movement between the upper
bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42. In this way,
both the upper bridging busbar 41 and the lower bridging busbar 42
can have a desired current-passing ability. Similarly, a spacing
between the second upper connecting piece 412 and the second lower
connecting piece 422 is P2, and D2 is 5 to 1.5 times P2.
[0069] The two electrode output connecting pieces 2 of the battery
module can be disposed on a same side of the battery module. For
example, as shown in FIG. 1, the two electrode output connecting
pieces 2 are both disposed on a same side of the battery module in
the length direction. During the assembly process of the battery
module, it is only need to reserve an installation space at a
position where the two electrode output connecting pieces 2 are
located, and the reserved installation space can be formed by the
frame (such as the end plate) of the module. Such arrangement can
reduce the space occupied by the battery module when compared with
an arrangement in which the electrode output connecting pieces 2
are disposed on the same side in a height direction or a width
direction. Further, in a case of an unaltered dimension of the
frame of the battery module, disposing the two electrode output
connecting pieces 2 of the battery module on the same side can
further avoid the short circuit in the battery module, which may be
caused by the electrode output connecting piece 2 getting into
contact with the frame when the battery module is pressed and there
is a small distance there between. It should be understood that, as
shown in FIG. 1, the length direction of the battery module is
direction X, the width direction of the battery module is direction
Y, and the height direction of the battery module is direction
Z.
[0070] In another aspect, when the two electrode output connecting
pieces 2 of the battery module are both disposed on a same side of
the battery module, the dimension of the whole battery module can
be reduced, the energy density of the battery module can be
enhanced, and the length of the bridging busbar 4 can be reduced.
In this way, the bridging busbars 4 will generate less heat during
the operation of the battery module, and thus the safety
performance of the battery module can be improved. Further, errors
are less likely to occur during the assembly process of the battery
module when the bridging busbars 4 have a smaller length, thereby
facilitating the assembly process of the battery module.
[0071] When the battery units 1 are connected by the bridging
busbars 4, the bridging busbar 4 can bridge one battery unit 1, two
battery units 1, or more battery units 1, which is not specifically
limited herein. In an embodiment, in the assembly process of a
battery module, the bridging busbar 4 can bridge an odd number of
battery units 1, so as to connect these battery units 1 together
with the adjacent busbar 3. In another embodiment, the bridging
busbar 4 can bridge an even number of battery units 1, so as to
connect these battery units 1 together with the adjacent busbar 3.
In the manufacturing process of the battery module, the connection
manner can be selected according to practical situations.
[0072] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, two battery units 1
that are spaced by one battery unit 1 located there between are
connected in series through the bridging busbar 4, and two adjacent
battery units 1 are connected in series through the adjacent busbar
3, so as to connect all the battery units 1 together and form an
electrical connection path. In the assembly process of a battery
module adopting such connection manner, its operation is easy, and
since the bridging busbars 4 and the adjacent busbars 3 are simple
in structure, this can facilitate manufacturing and assembling.
[0073] Further, the plurality of bridging busbars 4 can have a same
length or a same shape, which can standardize components in the
battery module, thereby further simplifying the processing of the
bridging busbars 4 as well as the process of assembling the
bridging busbars 4 with the battery units 1.
[0074] In an embodiment, the two electrode output connecting pieces
2 are arranged to extend in a same direction. As shown in FIG. 1,
the two electrode output connecting pieces 2 both extend along the
length direction of the battery module, so that the electrode
output connecting pieces 2 would not contact the frame of the
battery module, which would otherwise result in the short-circuit
in the battery module, even if the battery module is subjected to
squeezing from several directions other than the length direction
during its operation.
[0075] The embodiments according to the present disclosure
discussed above are merely illustrative embodiments, but not
intended to limit the present disclosure. The technical solution
according to the present disclosure can be modified in various
manners. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements
within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should
be included in the scope of protection of the present
disclosure.
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